Catechesis heart of preparations

CEBU, Philippines - Catechesis for the young is now the heart of all the preparations in the upcoming canonization of the Cebuano martyr, Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said that the preparation for the big day has been going on.

 “What I look out for this activity is the catechesis for the young, ang plus big. That’s something to me is more exciting, Palma said, explaining that what he meant for ‘plus big’ is “being big in God,” Palma said in his homily to celebrate the feast of Calungsod and his 340 years of martyrdom.

Palma said that Calungsod, aside from the fact that he is a saint, Filipino youth can now look up to and emulate him.

According to Palma, the Church has been recognizing the young people as the present and future of the Church, thus, giving them a significant role in the preparation for the canonization on Oct. 21.

During the catechesis, the significance of the life of Calungsod will be explained to the youth.

One of the series of catechesis being done was held last night. The Archbishop accompanied the youth in praying and converse with them about Calungsod as well as current youth issues.

In his homily, Palma said that the canonization of Calungsod is a challenge to ordinary people like the Blessed then, especially to the many young people today, that only shows that lay people can be saints too.

“The canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod means that a life of a Christian is a life of communion and a life of mission,” Palma said.

Monsignor Ildebrando A. Leyson, postulator and co-chairman of the Commission on Blessed Pedro Calungsod, said that unlike in previous fiestas, yesterday was more festive and noticeably filled with more people and new faces.

Leyson said that even in the morning when there’s no mass for Calungsod, people flocked to light candles for the soon to be saint.

“Hopefully, this will prepare us spiritually for the event on Oct. 21,” he said.

Calungsod will soon be proclaimed saint by Pope Benedict XVI who recently set his canonization along with six others on October 21 in Rome. He will be the first Visayan saint and second Filipino saint in history following San Lorenzo Ruiz who was proclaimed saint in 1988.

The teenager from Cebu was martyred in Guam in 1672 with a Spanish Jesuit priest, now Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores.  (FREEMAN)